Absent in the Spring
by RainyDumplings
Summary: Athena rues the day that God decided to bring Apollo home - back to God land for a peaceful and eternal rest... AU. Romance and death. One-Shot.


**Absent in the Spring****  
**

Apollo hadn't been happy for some time now.

It wasn't that he was depressed or upset about something - there was just nothing that really made him laugh or smile. Sure, Trucy Wright tried to cheer him up with her magic fantasies, but that didn't do the trick either.

It was this indescribable feeling of loneliness and weariness. Apollo knew that he didn't have much time left and soon, very soon he'd perish from this world.

"Apollo?" came a gentle voice. He turned his torso around to see a tall, beautiful woman with hair as red as autumn leaves come towards him.

"Apollo, are you ok?" Athena's voice was like music to his ears. It was soft and sweet, and he loved it. She sat down next to him carefully and wandered into his dark eyes with her cerulean coloured-eyes, trying to read his thoughts. Having cancer can make you do strange things and think differently. You're still _you_ but, you ponder, "How much more time do I have left?" the clock is ticking. The sand in the hourglass is falling. Death is waiting with his scythe held to your throat.

The old duo sat next to each other, hand-in-hand on a park bench in the city of Manhattan, watching the world fly by and seasons change. Even the children were excited that winter was on it's way. Nearby, they collaborated to make several big piles of leaves and all at once, they'd plow into it, sending the dead leaves swirling into the skies. Up and down they went. The air carried them a few inches before making contact with the ground once again. It was the duty of dead leaves to fall and paint the city in shades of yellow and orange.

"Just tired, is all." Apollo whispered, leaning his head back on the cold bench. Athena clasped her long, delicate fingers around his more firmly, afraid that he might run off somewhere and leave her behind.

"I love you..." she pressed soft lips against his wrinkly cheeks, sparking a pang in his tired heart that demanded more. He wanted to hear those words a thousand times but his mind was already so weary with age and cancer. He couldn't speak when inside, he was screaming. Roaring like a wild beast that can't be tamed. Crying like the grey rain that pours in April.

Seeing unease in her lover's eyes, Athena in once more, but this time pressed her lips against his and locking into a slow passionate kiss. Tongues fighting over one another, teeth grazing, biting each others lips, and utterly devouring each other; it was euphoric. Apollo ached for more, so much more, that it was agonizing because he couldn't.

God said no and instead told him that it was time to come home. To return to heavens - God's land.

"Apollo, I love you..." Athena repeated, her eyes glossing over with tears. She would lose the one she loved most in a matter of days, weeks, months. No matter how many times she wished it wasn't so.

She often wished that she'd curl in bed besides her lover and awake from this terrible nightmare and premonition that she'd soon be living out the remainder of her years _alone_.

Apollo had done nothing but bring unbridled joy into her life. It just wasn't fair!

The married couple pulled their lips away from each other, panting and pressing foreheads against one another. A few adults that happened to be passing by couldn't help but grin at the cute couple that may have very been in their sixties or seventies. _They're so devoted to each other if they've been together this long. _

"Heh," Apollo laughed, trying to steal another kiss from his wife. "Remember when you were so out there and crazy? You flipped a policeman unto me years ago at Nine-Tales Vale!"

"Oh, shush or I'll flip you!" Athena teased, letting Apollo entrance into her warm mouth. "You were such an airhead too." she said between moans. Afterwords the couple stared at each other and proceeded into a fit of giggles.

Fall and winter blew right past them in a whirlwind until it was the month of greenery and flowers.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair," Phoenix Wright read aloud the funeral eulogy with tears forming in the corner of eyes. He had to pause a few times to take a deep breathe of fresh air and to wipe away any wetness that befell his cheeks before continuing.

Maya Fey looked at the large hole in front of her with a casket that had been placed at the very bottom of it. She knew Apollo Justice was long gone, but what does being _gone_ entitle? What's after death? Heaven or Hell or Oblivion? Only he knew...

Athena didn't cry. She could only stare at the tombstone with his date of birth, a dash, and death engraved on it - no, she wasn't looking at the day of death but her eyes stared straight at the single dash mark.

The dash represents everything that happened in between being brought into the world and leaving the world. All the laughter, tears, happiness, and anger. A single dash was all humanity could do to help signify the moments in someone's life.

"We had everything before us, we had nothing before us," Phoenix continued to read. "we were all going to Heaven, we were all going the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of it's noisiest authorities insisted on it's being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." he took a step forward and gave a small pat on Athena's shoulder before hobbling away with his cane and Maya beside him, arms locked.

As people slowly with their hands behind their backs said their farewells and dropped their flowers onto the casket and exited, Athena was the only one left.

The day was bright and sun shone upon the world with it's same love; the grass was wet with dew and butterflies were springing up from nothingness. She felt a familiar presence at her side that carefully told her: "When the seasons say it's time for spring once again, there's a feeling of rebirth that comes with it. Spring is lovely, because the world is singing a never-ending song of joy."

_That is the garden of Eternal Spring. _

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**Hello! Thank you for reading this story! I hope you enjoyed (and that it wasn't too terrible.)**

**I would like to credit the author Charles Dickens who wrote "A Tale of Two Cities" as I used the beginning paragraph of the story for the funeral eulogy. That's all! Again, thank you for reading and please review if you can!  
**


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